Page 106 of Once the Skies Fade

She slid her chin over her shoulder as she continued to shift and roll and press against me.

Her voice came out husky with lust, little more than a ragged breath. “You said you were mine to handle, when I need a release.”

That had been a joke meant to rile her dragon guard, not an invitation, but now that she was here, no matter the logic that screamed a warning in my mind, my need—pulsing and growing within me—would not let me deny her.

“So I did,” I said, brushing one hand over her stomach, daring to inch higher and higher, ever so slowly, expecting her to stop me at any moment. My fingers trailed over her breast and slipped inside her dress. She shuddered as I grazed over her pebbled peak, pinching it lightly. My lips caressed her ear, and I breathed out the question, “And does my Killer need a release now?”

I realized my use of the nickname too late, but she only rolled harder against me, her head falling back against my shoulder, offering the tender skin of her neck to me. Dropping my mouth lower, I nipped at her skin, dragging my teeth down to her bare shoulder. When I pulled back, I noted the hint of ink trailing across her shoulder blade and sliding underneath her dress. Trailing my finger along it, I opened my mouth to compliment the design—vines of thorned ivy—but she spoke first.

“I need a distraction, general,” she whispered. She reached one hand up, tangling her fingers in my hair. “Can you give me that?”

The sweet scent of brandy coated her words, and I froze. “How much have you had to drink?”

She stilled, and for a moment I worried I’d offended her, but she finally whispered. “Enough for me to ignore every reason I shouldn’t be here, but not so much you should feel guilty for giving me what I want.”

“Well then, distraction is my specialty,” I said, kissing her neck and shifting my hand to explore her other breast. She hummed, her chest thrumming against my hand, but then she stepped away from me.

I didn’t resist, letting my hands slip away from her body and raising them in total and utter surrender. A brief warning flashed in my mind, wondering if she might be here to kill me as she possibly had her husband. But when she turned, her tear-soaked eyes finding mine, I saw no danger, no risk, only a desperate desire to escape.

I could be that escape for her.

She held my gaze as she undid the laces down to her waist, and her tongue peeked out to wet her lips as she slowly gathered her dress in her hands, lifting it ever higher until she slipped it off completely and dropped it to the floor. She wore no shift beneath, wore nothing at all, and simply seeing her standing there in all her bare confidence was a delight in itself.

When I met her gaze again, any trace of tears had vanished, and now she wore a sly smirk on her lips. Slowly she backed away until she hit the tapestry, beckoning me forward with a curve of her finger. As I complied, her shadows slipped loose, spilling from her palms. I waited for them to come for me, but instead the dark trail of shadows caressed her skin, over her torso, down her hips. When they slipped between her legs, she laid her head back against the wall, her mouth parting to let her ragged breath escape. She held my gaze as her shadows moved over her skin, pulling a moan from her chest. If I wasn’t careful, she was going to undo me before I ever got to feel her.

“On your knees, general,” she commanded as her shadows slipped down her thighs, lifting her leg out to one side to invite me to taste her glistening center.

I ignored my own throbbing need and knelt at the queen’s feet. Her shadows shifted her leg up over my shoulder beforeslipping under my chin and gently nudging my head up. If I’d thought she was intoxicating before, it was nothing compared to being this close, breathing in her warmth. Trailing one hand along her raised thigh, I kissed the other, teasing her with my breath and tongue and teeth as I moved closer to her center.

With a sensuous, impatient growl, Calla slid down the wall, her shadows holding me against her—as if I had any desire to stop now. My own needy groan hummed past my lips as they found her bundle of nerves, relishing in the way her hips moved against my mouth. And when I finally let my tongue slip out to taste her, I lifted my eyes to see her head tilted up, one hand fisting her dark hair, her other holding her breast where her thumb worked heavenly circles.

I couldn’t get enough of this female, who tasted sweeter than any other I’d enjoyed over the years. I was so engrossed in drawing out her whimpers, in savoring her, that I didn’t notice her shadows—sensual and warm now, instead of the icy cold I’d experienced before—had moved down my chest and torso to where my body begged for release, their heat caressing every inch of me. Her darkness seemed to react to my need, moving with me as I pushed both of us toward that blissful end we both craved.

I worked my tongue and fingers faster against her, inside her, all the while her shadows kept pace along my length. Moving with her rolling hips, I fed off the sound of her pleasure filling my ears, my room, my world. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to give her everything she wanted, anything she needed, whatever she demanded. With our heartbeats racing together, our groans building off one another, we soared over that edge together, a perfect harmony of ecstasy. I gripped her thigh, still teasing her as her warmth tensed around me and my body trembled against her shadows, until we both stilled.

Slipping her leg off of my shoulder, I pulled away from her, my hands holding her waist, as I rose to my feet. Her shadows slowly retreated back into her palms, now pressed against the wall by her sides. When she finally opened her eyes to find me staring at her, a thin smile graced her perfect lips, but when I moved closer to claim those lips for myself, she stopped me with fingers pressed to my mouth.

She shook her head.

“That will do, general.”

Stepping past me, she gathered up her dress and slipped it over her head. She looked back once, not at me, but at the tapestry-covered wall behind me. Huffing out an annoyed breath, she turned and walked out into the hallway without another word.

Chapter 47

Calla

Istepped out of Matthias’s room into the dark corridor, my shadows concealing me despite the dim light. Leaning back against the cold stone, I begged my pulse to steady. Closing my eyes, I relived every moment of our encounter—his chest against my back, his breath in my ear, his tongue working unexpected miracles—which did nothing to help slow my heartbeat.

Stars, though, that general knew what he was doing.

The thrill gradually faded with the realization that it could never happen again. The other contestants already believed I favored him, and I didn’t trust the Assembly not to use any misstep to steal my throne.

No, it couldn’t happen again.

I wish it could, though, because I’d never been worshipped so completely.

With that thought, a cloud of shame descended on me, not because of what I’d done or for enjoying myself, but for comparing Matthias to Brennan. The way Matthias had accepted my command without hesitation—yet somehow also knew precisely what I craved and how to deliver—was like nothing I’dever had with Brennan, and just thinking about it again nearly made me storm back into his room and demand more.

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